Announcing the passing of Ron Plaster
With great sadness, we are sorry to announce the passing of Ron Plaster, who died a few days ago. As many of you know, Ron was the last surviving of the three original engineers at the museum and led (with Tony Cundick and Ivan Fear) the restoration to steam of most of the large engines on the site, as well as setting up the Museum and leading much of the contract work. He was a key figure in the history of the Museum and Trust.
Ron was actively involved in the Museum for nearly 50 years. Even after he retired many years ago, he still supported the Museum through volunteering. Ron achieved a huge amount over this time, not just at Kew, but also at many other places such as Crofton Pumping Station, bringing back to life engines that many sceptics believed was impossible to do.
Ron was a very positive person and was always friendly and welcoming to new volunteers joining the team. He will be sorely missed not just as a person, but also for his incredible engineering skills and knowledge. Our thoughts are with his family at this time.
For those wishing to attend, his funeral will be held at 1.15pm on Thursday 23 January, at the Westerleigh Crematorium, Westerleigh Road, Westerleigh, BS37 8QP or BS37 8RF. The postcodes might be a little confusing, but there are detailed travel instructions on the crematorium website, www.westerleighcrem.co.uk
